


We've got you

by HikariYumi



Category: Iron Man - All Media Types, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types, The Incredible Hulk - All Media Types
Genre: Angst, Avengers Movie Night, Bruce Banner Has Issues, Bruce Banner Needs a Hug, Bruce Feels, Cuddling & Snuggling, Cushions and blankets, Domestic Avengers, Hulk-out, M/M, Platonic Cuddling, Team Bonding, Team as Family, Touch-Starved, bruce craves touch, but he is too scared, casual touching, the Team likes cuddling
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-26
Updated: 2016-02-26
Packaged: 2018-05-23 10:19:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,959
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6113467
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HikariYumi/pseuds/HikariYumi
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Bruce promised to attend at least one team bonding night. He wasn't sure what he had expected, but not so much touching.</p>
            </blockquote>





	We've got you

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Majinie](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Majinie/gifts).



> Hey, this is my first own story here...   
> A big 'thank you' to Majinie who made this thing readable aaaaaand kind of prompted it. It started with a harmless thought of Bruce being scared of cuddles, even if he needs it really bad.  
> So, hope you have fun with it.

Bruce had spend the last few months in the rebuilt Avengers Tower. If someone had asked him why he hadn't left after Tony had shown him his "candy land", he wouldn't have an answer. Somehow, time had flown by after the first couple of days, Bruce was kept busy, the engineer managed to come up with a bunch of ideas, so he wasn't able to go back to his old life.  
If you could call it that way.

It was in that time when slowly, the other Avengers began dropping in more frequently. At first, it was just after missions near the tower or to get a quick shower before heading off to a debrief. Later they just came to hang out in their free times or spending their time off on the guest floors.  
Bruce started to suspect that Tony had arranged them with the team in mind anyways, because mysteriously, they were personalised to fulfil their different individual needs.

Now, the whole Avengers team lived at the tower, except for Thor who wasn't able to travel through the realms that often. He only appeared when SHIELD found a hint of Loki's sceptre, Bruce wasn't sure how he got informed when that happened. Tony assumed it had something to with the all- seeing gatekeeper Heimdall.

The physicist removed his safety goggles and stroked through his dishevelled curls before heading to the lab door. Tony had coaxed him into the promise to show up tonight to a bit "team bonding". It would be the first time that Bruce actually attended those evenings where the Avengers sat together, talking or watching films. He avoided those things on purpose, even if he told the others that he was busy with work. Bruce couldn't tell if they believed him.

When he arrived in the living room of the "communal floor", though he wasn't sure when that name became a thing, all the others were already there. Apparently today was games night, because the team seemed in the middle if an really intense card game.  
Bruce stayed silently in the doorway watching from the distance how the team debated over a certain rule. He wasn't surprised to notice that it were rather Tony and Clint instead of the whole team who were arguing. Natasha had leaned back in her armchair in an exasperated manner while Steve tried to drag Tony back down on the sofa.

"Are you coming in now, or are you planning to spend the evening in the hallway?" Of course it was Natasha who noticed him first. Or she was the first who bothered to speak to him.  
Tony's head snapped in Bruce's direction and relaxed changing to a welcoming position, gesturing for him to come over. Reluctantly, the physicist made a few steps into the living room, shooting quick glances at the other persons, searching for hints of discomfort with his presence.

When he didn't find them, he made a few quick steps until he stood between the two sofas, without an idea what to do next. Bruce rubbed his hands tigether awkwardly, waiting for one of the others to say something.  
He shouldn't have come up here, it wasn't right.

"Oh come on Brucie, we don't bite." Tony smirked at him. "Yet." The physicist sat down uncomfortably on the far end of Clint's sofa, wary and stiff. The archer blinked at the huge gap between them but decided not to say anything. Bruce was grateful for that.  
Steve sent him a kind smile and thanked that he had managed to come this time. At those honest words, guilt knotted in the man's stomach, he really didn't deserve such a nice team leader aftereverything he had done.

"So. What should we do now? Grab a film?", Natasha suggested and looked at Bruce prompting.  
"Hey, we're still playing!" Tony nagged and hold up his cards to underline his statement. "You can't just decide we do something different!" The engineer earned an eye roll from Natasha but Steve cut in before Clint could say something that would revive the argument from earlier.

Bruce felt weird between those people who were supposed his teammates. If he was honest, he wasn't sure if he was part of the team. He saw how smoothly they fought side by side in battle, like a real team, trusting and opening up to each other.  
And then there was Bruce, the dark spot in the group. Unpredictable and unreliable. Nevertheless, these people smiled at him.

"I would have won anyway," Tony mumbled while skipping through a list of movie recommendations.  
"Sure, Tony. Sure." The archer giggled next to him before he stand up to take a look at the stark pad on the table.  
"This one." Clint pointed at one of the posters which made Natasha groan in annoyance.  
"Really? We've already watched that one. Twice." The archer pouted and crossed his arms like a child would.

Bruce watched the Avengers standing around the list in such a domestic and open manner, it nearly scared him. Steve leaned over, pointing at another title: "What's with that one. I wanted to watch that anyway, an agent recommended it to me a while ago."

The others accepted the choice more or less happily until Tony looked at Bruce. The physicist shifted a bit on the sofa when he got asked if he was okay with that film. He just nodded and put on his glasses he kept in his shirts pocket while not in use.  
After that, Clint announced the obligatory change in decoration, everyone split up to get some comforters and cushions from somewhere Bruce didn't know. They functioned smoothly and experienced, it was obvious that it wasn't the first time they were doing this.

The physicist swallowed a bit, he felt like an intruder in a closed group. It was more than uncomfortable. Just a minute later, Tony and Steve were back, throwing the cushions in the middle of the sunken living room in front of the television. Natasha and Clint meanwhile rumbled in the kitchen, maybe getting some food.  
Nervously, Bruce stood up, wringing his hands looking to his teammates slightly helplessly. "Anything I can do?"

Steve stopped in his task of spinning the sofa around so that it would face the screen and sent him another warm smile. "No, don't worry Doc. Just lean back and relax."  
Tony patted Bruce's shoulder companionably and shoved him on the newly positioned sofa. "He's right, Bruce. Just rest for a while with us." The engineers face was sincere and hopeful, he wantedhim here. With this thought, the physicist smiled at his friend.

Up until now, Tony was the only one of the Avengers Bruce had a closer relationship with. Nevertheless, it was nothing compared to the closeness that the rest of the team showed. The thought hurt more than the scientist wanted to admit, despite the fact that this was the result he had aimed for.

A few moments later, the two SHIELD-agents returned, indeed with snacks and some bottles of drinks. These were planted on the glass coffee table Tony had moved two metres in front if the sitting set. Before Bruce could wonder about the distance, Clint plopped himself in front of the sofa on the carpet, grabbing a comforter out of the colourful pile.

On his left, the sofa shifted under another weight, he turned a bit and was a bit surprised to find Natasha next to him. "Everything alright, Doc?" She wasn't careful to approach him, not like in the beginning. Bruce wasn't sure if that was a good thing, he was dangerous.  
"Y- yes...", he mumbled shyly, looked down on his lap and nearly missed how Steve sat down on the woman's other side. Consequently, Natasha hat to shift in the physicists direction, who instinctively flinched away.

Bruce caught Tony's sad glance before he sat down next to Clint on the floor.  
"Doc, I can move," Natasha suggested and observed the physicist fir a long moment. He bit his lip, that wasn't what he wanted.  
"N- no, you don't have to-, I mean, no." The woman's eyes softened and touched Bruce's arm for a second.

JARVIS started the movie and dimmed the lights of the room to a comfortable level, and the Avengers got into comfy positions. The physicist noticed how Natasha leaned relaxed against Steve's chest, his arm warmly around her waist. In front of them a similar picture, the archer hat positioned his head on Tony's legs, boldly using him as a pillow. The other man didn't seem to mind, propped up against the sofa and hugging a small cushion against his chest.

All four of them seemed relaxed and happy, munching chips and popcorn, silently whispering to each other now and then.  
Bruce curled up around himself, suddenly feeling empty and lonely, despite the other people around him. The man craved to join them, leaning against another warm body, maybe even being held. He swallowed again, thickly, his throat strangely tight.

Every now and then, one of his teammates squinted at him, smiling reassuringly. They were too nice, too unafraid. Bruce didn't doubt that they would be happy if he would join them, but it was too dangerous. He could hurt them, so easily. He always destroyed things and those people really deserved a bit of peace.

But that wasn't the only reason why the physicist stayed in his little bubble of loneliness, there was another completely selfish reason. If he allowed himself to be touched, to be near someone, he wouldn't be able to withdraw himself again.  
The last time was so long ago, he nearly had forgotten how it felt like to be so near to actual people who didn't hate him.It was so strange.

Bruce observed his teammates longingly, knowing it would be so easy to arrange a touch, showing them that he wanted to be part of them. But it was hard, he was scared.  
Maybe it was too long since he was able to trust someone or since someone trusted him enough. There was so much that could go wrong, so much.  
Only one word, a little motion and they would know, would smile and invite him. Again. But he couldn't move, even if he ached for this closeness.

"Come here, Brucie." The man jerked at the soft mutter, glanced down to Tony who threw away his cushion and raised an arm to welcome him.  
Bruce's breath hitched when he nearly fell from the sofa while trying to hurry to the other man. Oh, how he needed it.  
His uncoordinated movements provoked soft laughter from the other team members, but there was nothing malicious in it.

"Maybe we should rearrange.", Steve said untangling himself from Natasha. Apparently she agreed because in the next moment both of them dropped onto the carpet shoving Clint from his position on Tony.  
The archer complied grumpily and stretched a bit. Bruce looked around helplessly, uncertain what to do, but it seemed that his teammates had a plan.

The physicist was tugged gently against Tony's chest, more lying than sitting between the man's legs, similar to the position Steve and Natasha hat shared before. Those two ended up each one on one of Bruce's sides, lying propped up on their elbows so that they had a good view on the screen. Clint crouched this time to the team's only women putting his head on her stomach, obviously content with his new position. Natasha caught Bruce's gaze and rolled her eyes.

Again, a peaceful silence settled over the Avengers, again over all of them but Bruce. He was warm and Tony's arms were the best things he had felt in years, but he just couldn't relax. Instead, the man started to shiver, trying and failing to hide it, because it was impossible when someone touched nearly his whole back.  
"Shhh, Brucie. Relax, everything is fine, we are all here," Tony mumbled in his ear. But the engineer's words didn't help much, except for the others to notice. Embarrassed, the physicist tried to hide from their oddly understanding glances.

Bruce felt his heart rate picking up a faster pace, the clenching of his shoulders. It wasn't good, it was too close, it was too much. Everyone's shared body warmth and scents, their closeness and kindness. He didn't deserve this, he would shatter it, rip them apart.

"N- no... Let me go!" Panicking Bruce tried to free himself from the tight embrace, trying to flee, to run like he always did to keep everyone safe.  
"Bruce, shh, calm down. Tell us, what's wrong." The others were watching him out of steady eyes. He couldn't stand that."I- I... Let me go! I'll hurt you... Let me go!"  
Bruce was panting now in earnest, too loud as that he could understand what his teammates were saying. It was nothing more than whirring in his ears.  
In a last attempt to free himself he stemmed against the strong arms around his chest, green shimmering at the edge of his vision. Bruce wanted to warn them so they could escape, but everything went black before he could even open his mouth again.

Since the incident, Bruce had grown used to the numb feeling after a transformation. He recognised the unnatural heaviness of his body and the dull headache as a certain sign from a Hulk out. Awareness came slowly, as usual. First, he could sense noises, at the beginning far away and muffled, then clearer and understandable. Then, he was able to use his eyes again, blurred but enough to get a bit of orientation. The last thing, the feeling of his body would recur a lot later. That was one of the most dangerous things when he was on the run. In this state, he was incredibly vulnerable. A sharp contrast to his state as the other guy.

Around him was whispering, nothing urgent was in the tone, it seemed like a casual talk. Bruce blinked a few times until his view gathered his sharp contours back. It was the towers typical ceiling, it was the same in every floor Bruce had visited by now.  
Slowly, he began to comprehend where he was, he lied on his back in one of the towers rooms while a few Avengers were with him. The physicist frowned, tried to remember what had happened.

"Hey sleeping beauty. You're back with us?" Someone stroked his hair out of his face, the fingers were white and slender but pleasantly warm.  
That was another thing about the aftermath of a transformation, his body was drained of most of his energy, which left him cold and exhausted.  
Bruce tried to answer, but nothing but a silent groan came out. Everything hurt and his body was still too heavy to be moved. He closed his eyes, drifting towards sleep, when someone lifted this torso up into an upright position.

Bruce moaned again, struggled a bit, but there were a lot of hands keeping him in place.  
"I know you're tired, just a little longer, okay, buddy?" This time a bigger, calloused hand stroked his hair away, tilted his chin up a little. In the next second, a glass was tipped against his lips, Bruce opened obediently and swallowed a few gulps of water. He was grateful, but managed not much more than a slurred 'thank you'.

The physicist was lowered again until his head rested on a rough texture and a comforter was draped over him. A few minutes nobody moved so Bruce could structure his thoughts, wanting to comprehend before he blacked out again.  
The man raised himself so abruptly that the world began to spin. Immediately, there were four pairs of hands catching and stabilising him.  
"Whoa whoa, easy easy. We've got you..."Bruce was to weak to resist against the gentle but firm grip that tugged him against a broad chest, his face leaning at his teammates neck. It smelled distantly of metal and coconut, of Tony.

The man's body went soft and nearly melted into the hug, he wasn't scared, not anymore. Bruce knew he had hulled out, but at the moment all of his teammates sat next to him, murmuring soothingly, rubbing his back, he wasn't able to be afraid.  
"H've hurt 'nyone?"

The physicist felt Tony's laughter bubbling in his chest, making him shift a little but in a pleasant way. "No big guy, everything's good."  
Again, there were hands touching him reassuringly on his shoulders and his arms, that were somehow clutched at Tony's shirt.  
"You've never told us that Hulk is such a great cuddler," Clint's voice sounded from his left.

Bruce frowned once more, remembering that his teammates were in the same room as the Hulk, not only that, but right next to him. The hands rubbed stronger than before, relieving the growing tension again until the physicist slumped back in his friends hold.  
"Yes, good boy. Everything's good. The Other guy was nice, he can be very gentle," said Tony.

This words relaxed but confused him, but no one seemed to be injured or even frightened. Quite the opposite, they were closer to Bruce than ever before.  
The man was sure he wouldn't be this calm when he would wake up the next time, when he was back in his own mind again, but now he wasn't worried anymore.

"We will tell you everything later. Get some sleep, Doc. We'll be there when you wake up," Steve promised and covered him again with the comforter.  
Bruce was warm and safe. Under his chest, he felt Tony's steady breaths and firm arms kept him close to the engineer's body.

"You've got me." Happily Bruce snuggled against his friend, slipping back into a peaceful sleep.


End file.
